"Nothing" by Janne Teller

A fellow librarian told me to read this book, and librarians do give the best recommendations. I'm only a little biased.

Pierre Anthon is convinced that "Nothing matters." "From the moment you are born, you start to die."

Pierre is so confident in his beliefs; he leaves school and spends his days sitting in a tree, taunting his fellow classmates. He throws plums, and yells at everyone that there is nothing special about their lives, the universe or anything.

His classmates are determined to prove him wrong. They try to argue with him, but are unsuccessful. Throwing rocks at him doesn’t help him shut up either. So, they decide to create a pile of meaningful objects to prove to Pierre that life does indeed stand for something.

The students take turns adding their personal objects to the pile: books, a fishing pole, a pair of sandals….each contribution becomes more extreme and intense to prove their point, and the end result is both morbid and frightening.

What constitutes meaning? Do material objects hold importance? How do you determine what has value?

This is a wonderful, but chilling, look at ourselves, and how we attach significance to our lives.

This book is translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken.

"Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Juli's got a big time crush on Bryce. Bryce is totally not interested.

Juli tends to live in her own universe, growing chickens, saving the planet, and speaking her mind.

Bryce falls in with the popular kids, follows their advice and tries to avoid Juli at all times.

It doesn't help things that Bryce and Juli have lived across the street from each other since the 2nd grade.

This book is one of my favorites, told in alternating chapters from both Juli and Bryce's perspective on the situation.

Someone is about to change their mind, and *flip* their thinking. Who's it going to be, and will they end up dating? Curious minds want to find out!

"Boys are Dogs" by Leslie Margolis

Sixth grade Annabelle just moved into a new house with her mom and her mom's boyfriend Ted Weeble. Annabelle creates a secret nickname for Ted, Dweeble, which is very fitting with his dorky running shorts and nerdy music. New house equals a new school, and her new middle school is filled with pesky boys that take great pleasure in teasing and tormenting Annabelle. Mom and Ted surprise Annabelle with a new puppy, hoping the distraction will help her adjust. Annabelle soon discovers that boys and dogs have a lot in common, and dog training is coming in very useful for putting boys in their place! This is a funny read, Annabelle is super clever and confident.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is back, and he's wimpy as ever. His dad Frank is ready to turn Greg into a man, but that's proving harder than it looks. Is military school the solution? Greg is the king of laziness and will do anything to get out of real work. All my favorite characters make an appearance in this edition - Rowley, Rodrick and Manny. This series continues to crack me up! Will Greg be the star on his soccer team? Will he get a new girlfriend? The movie is coming out soon, so now's a good time to get caught up on this hilarious series.

"Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an Unpleasant Age" edited by Ariel Schrag

17 professional comics confess their painful memories from their time in middle school. From the inside cover - "Have you ever been called one of the following - Freak, Loser, Weirdo, Alien, Sucker, Slut, Skank, New Girl, Goth Boy, Crater Face? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you have experienced the joys of middle school." These stories can help you feel that you're not alone, and most everyone has awkward moments and tries to fit in. Some stories made me crack up, others made me sad...but everyone has to go through it, whether you like it or not! Some "mature" situations and language, be warned.

"Waiting for Normal" by Leslie Connor

Addie would give anything for a normal house to live in. Instead, she is trapped living in an old trailer in New York with her dysfunctional mom - Mommers. Addie wants to live with her step-dad, Dwight, and her younger half-sisters, but unfortunately she's stuck.

Her mom is driving her crazy! All she does is chat on the Internet, watch court TV and disappear for days on end. Addie has to be the responsible one - doing the dishes, cooking and cleaning. It's totally not fair.

She learns to cope by practicing the flute, playing with her hamster, and making friends with her neighbors at the convenience store. Dyslexia plagues Addie's schoolwork, but she manages to cope and remain optimistic about her living situation. I fell in love with Addie's character and her determination! Great for 4th-8th grades.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is keeping a diary. But it's really more of a journal, cause Greg wouldn't be caught dead in middle school with a diary. Greg's into weight lifting, video games, cartooning, and hanging out with his weirdo best friend, Rowley. This quirky book is pretty funny and has lots of tips on how to avoid getting your butt kicked by big 8th graders.

"Shug" by Jenny Han

AnneMarie Wilcox (aka Shug) has been neighbors and friends with Mark Findley ever since she can remember. But they're starting middle school this fall, and Shug can sense things are changing. Her friends are talking about boys, her body's doing weird things, and her parents and twittering on the brink of divorce. When did life get so hard?? Shug is forced to tutor Jack, who drives her crazy, and Mark isn't giving her the attention she craves. Shug's older sister Celia is perfect, popular and has boys calling all the time. Will middle-school ever get easier? Recommended for 5-8th grades.